Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 08/05/2019 - Last updated on 08/09/2023
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This sweet potato brownies vegan recipe is the easiest, healthy gooey chocolate brownies.
It’s a healthy dairy-free sweet potato dessert that everyone loves!
If you love gooey chocolate brownies, you will love those sweet potato brownies!
They have an intense soft and sticky fudgy texture coming from the sweet potato puree. A perfect vegan treat!
How To Make Sweet Potato Brownies
This is an easy 1-bowl recipe using only 7 ingredients. Let’s see what you need and your alternatives.
Ingredients
- Sweet potato puree – see below to learn how to make your own puree in 15 minutes.
- Coconut sugar – or brown sugar or any unrefined crystal sugar you love.
- Maple syrup – or agave, coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup.
- Almond flour – or sunflower seed flour if you don’t eat nuts.
- Homemade Oat flour – you can make your own by pulsing rolled oats into a blender for 1 minute on high speed. You can replace this flour with spelt flour, all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour if needed.
- Coconut oil – or light taste oil like almond oil, or avocado oil.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Making these brownies is very easy, all it takes is one bowl and 10 minutes of preparation.
Making the Puree
The key to making the most delicious sweet potato brownies vegan recipe is to make a smooth sweet potato puree.
- Vegetable steamer – this is my favorite method and the one I recommend the most. It takes only 15 minutes to steam peeled sweet potato cubes, and it will preserve all the vegetable nutrients.
- Microwave -while I don’t like cooking in my microwave, I want to tell you that yes, you can steam vegetables in the microwave in 6 minutes. See the recipe card for details. Note that you will lose the nutritional value of the vegetables with this method.
Making the Brownie Batter
To make the brownie batter, combine all the batter ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Blend for about 30 to 60 seconds before adding the chocolate chips and blending again for a few seconds to distribute them or use a spatula to stir.
Baking the Brownies
Once the batter is ready, pour it into an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Take it to an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C), and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes.
Cooling down
Once the brownies are fudgy and ready, take the pan out of the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
Take the brownies out of the pan and let them cool down on a cooling rack for another 20-30 minutes.
You can also freeze it for 10 minutes to set it perfectly.
Serving the brownies
Slice the brownies into 16 square and drizzle some of the following on top:
- Melted Vegan Chocolate
- Peanut Butter
- Almond Butter
Allergy Swaps
Replacing Oat Flour
If you don’t have any oat flour or if you are allergic to oats, you can use regular wheat flour or almond flour in the same amount.
Replacing Almond Flour
If you don’t have any almond flour, you can swap it for oat flour, or regular wheat flour.
Replacing Maple Syrup
Yes, you can replace the maple syrup with coconut nectar or coconut sugar.
Maple syrup is used as a replacement for honey in this recipe.
Storing Sweet Potato Brownies
You can store these sweet potato brownies for up to 4 days in the fridge.
It’s also possible to freeze sweet potato brownies in the freezer.
My preferred way of doing that is to freeze each brownie square in its own ziplock bag to make it easier to thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use coconut flour?
No, coconut flour is so water absorbent that the texture of the brownies would be too dry.
How to make gooey chocolate brownies with sweet potato?
The key is to precisely measure the sweet potato puree. In fact, you must measure the puree at room temperature, mashed, and packed in the cups.
Otherwise, weigh the puree for better precision. Never measure the puree hot has some water remained, and it will not be precise.
How to make fudgy brownies?
First, make sure you follow the baking time and check the baking process after 40 minutes.
Insert a pick in the center of the brownie. It should come out with a little sticky crumb but not too much.If you bake your brownie longer, it gets dryer and has a cake-like texture.
Next, cool the brownie in the fridge to intensify the fudgy texture.
Finally, don’t decrease the oil amount. Fudgy brownies have a higher fat to flour ratio.
Less fat means less fudgy texture too.
Can I use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes?
No, regular potatoes have a completely different taste.
If you don’t have sweet potatoes, choose one of my other brownie recipes:
- Chocolate Chickpea Brownies
- Peanut Butter Banana Brownies
- Gluten-Free Vegan Zucchini Brownies
- Vegan Black Bean Brownies – A 1-bowl Recipe
- No-Bake Brownies
What do sweet potato brownies taste like?
If you don’t like the taste of sweet potatoes, don’t worry! Sweet Potatoe Brownies don’t taste like sweet potatoes!
The vegetable only brings texture and structure to the brownie but you can’t tell they’re there!
Are sweet potato brownies healthy?
Yes, they are! One square has only 139 calories, some good fat, fiber, vitamins, and protein.
More Vegan Gluten-Free Desserts
If you love vegan, gluten-free desserts, you may also want to try these recipes.
Don’t forget to save your recipe on Pinterest to make this later!
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Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 large Sweet Potato - orange, steamed, pureed, you need exactly 12 oz (or 1 1/3 cup of packed sweet potato puree)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - or brown rice syrup or agave syrup
- ⅓ cup Coconut Sugar - or brown sugar
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil - melted or vegetable oil of your choice.
- ½ cup Almond Flour - or sunflower seed flour if nut-free
- ½ cup Oat Flour - or all-purpose flour, spelt flour, or gluten-free flour.
- ⅓ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Line a brownie tray with parchment paper. I used an 8×8-inch pyrex pan. Set aside.
Prepare the sweet potato puree
- Peel a large orange sweet potato and dice it into small cubes.
- Place the sweet potato cubes into a steamer and cook for 15 minutes or until the cubes are soft and easy to smash into a puree.
- If you don't have a vegetable steamer, you can place the sweet potato cubes in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover it with a plate and microwave 5-6 minutes until soft. Note that microwave cooking will remove the nutritional value of sweet potato. It is not the method I recommend.
- Cool the sweet potato cubes at room temperature. They are ready to be mashed into a puree when no more steam release. It usually takes 10-15 minutes. Discard any water that may be left in the bowl if you choose the microwave method.
- Mash the sweet potato cubes into a puree using a fork or potato masher.
- Carefully weigh 12 oz (350 g) of sweet potato puree or 1 1/3 cup of puree. If you use cups, make sure you pack the puree very well in the cups to ensure the measurement is precise.
Brownie Batter
- In a food processor, add the sweet potato puree, maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, almond flour, oat flour, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds-1 minute or until all the ingredients are evenly combined. You may have to stop the food processor after 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat to ensure that all the ingredients are well combined. It usually takes no more than 1 minute of processing to get a sticky brownie batter.
- Add in chocolate chips and pulse 2-3 times to incorporate into the batter. Keep some chips to sprinkle on top of the brownie before baking if desired.
- Transfer the brownie batter onto the prepared brownie pan. Sprinkle the extra chocolate chips now if you kept some of them.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is set.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan then release the brownie from the pan lifting the pieces of parchment paper.
- Cool down for 20-30 minutes on a cooling rack. After that time, I recommend placing the brownie in the freezer 10-12 minutes to cool faster and get the most intense fudgy texture. It will also make the brownie easier to slice without falling apart.
- Slice the brownie into 16 squares. This is optional but you drizzle some melted dark chocolate on top of the brownie before serving, as seen in the picture above.
- Store the brownie in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can store the brownies at room temperature for 2 days.
- Freeze in ziplock bags and defrost the day before.
Is there a substitute for coconut oil to bring down the fat level (for people with heart issues)? Would applesauce work?
I didn’t try reducing oil but usually applesauce works great as a substitute
This recipe was a games changer for me. Definitely one of the best and easiest vegan brownie recipe I’ve ever made. God bless yous for enlightening people to a better way.
I didn’t wait to cut them like instructed because I’m impatient but the brownies still held their shape and tasted amazing. Can’t believe they are made with such nutritious ingredients. Great recipe!
So delicious and the texture comes out so good! Very easy recipe to follow as well
I loved this recipe!!
Thank you so much ❤️
It is moist, yummy, not too heavy, and not too sweet which I LOVED!!
And it is super easy to make!!
It was exactly what I was looking for in my brownie
Thank you so much
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment!
What can I use instead of oil as I don’t tolerate oil thankyou kindly
I didn’t try something else but usually same amount of unsweetened applesauce works well. enjoy!
Wonderful taste, especially if you love sweet. Potatoes…. A smooth blended taste.
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Can I sub regular white potato for sweet potato? We have 15 lbs of potatoes left over from thanksgiving
They are very different vegetables and it won’t work since sweet potato has less starch and its way more sweet. I am sorry for that but maybe make my potato salad with your left potatoes! XOXO Carine
I haven’t tried this yet, but I notice you use oat flour a lot. What would be a good substitute for oat flour. Allergy to oats.
Sure, you can replace oat flour by regular wheat flour or almond flour, same amount. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Hi,
Any chance u can substitute almond meal for protein powder? I’m trying to add more protein for my gym friends!
Thanks
Hi! Almond meal and protein powder have different properties so if you swap the result will be very different – mostly dry and fragile. Thanks for trying my recipes, XOXO Carine
This is our favorite recipe, from this blog, for vegan brownies and desserts. The brownies are just pure perfection!!! I have made them 4 times.
The first time I made them just as in the recipe and my husband did the formal announcement that these were his new favorite brownies. He could have he bone that they were made from sweet potato!
The second time, I did the same recipe but I split the brownie in half, horizontally (before cutting it into portions) and I put a layer of caramel, off course the caramel is Carine’s caramel from the Millionaire Bars.
Finally this week I made the brownies, but using some cream, as if it was a cake. I keep the recipe the same but added a middle layer of home made coconut whipped cream, then I covered the entire brownie with the same cream but this one had some dark unsweetened cocoa.
These brownies are so good, smooth, creamy, gooey, delicious, that I’m pretty sure they can be used to solve any dispute by offering one as a token of appreciation.
My first time baking a brownie and this recipe was awesome! It is so good! Thank you so much
OMG! caramel in the middle of this brownie sounds like a real treat! I want to try this next time. Thanks for sharing your idea with me, XOXO Carine
Amazing! So easy and so delicious! Definitely. New favourite! Thanks so much everything about this recipe is perfect!
Amazing! Used coconut sugar, maple syrup, made oatmeal flour by grinding the coffee grinder. Brownies dough tasted amazing by itself!! Baked for 30 minutes. Let cool down, put in the freezer after and it turned out so tasty! Not too sweet and nice texture!! Thank you !
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and tips ! XOXO Carine.
Mine turned out very dry and like flour. What to do?
Does the oven matter? Or what?
Did you measure the sweet potato puree right? If it is too dry it might be because you are missing sweet potato puree or over bake the brownies.
Very delicious and moist! I followed the recipe exactly! Thank you for sharing! I follow you on Instagram. Sly_the_vegan
Thanks Sly ! You don’t have to tell, I know you are one of the my TOP Instagram follower 😀 I see all your likes and read allyour message and THANK YOU for being here with me tryng my recipes! I hope some of them ends up on your Christmas table. XOXO Carine
Do you think I could replace the almond flour with regular flour?
I didn’t try this option but I am pretty sure all-purpose flour will work well too. The texture will probably be les moist. Enjoy the brownie! XOXO Carine
I ran out of sweet potato so I used 1/3 cup of tahini to replace it. These brownies turned out fabulous! What a great way to eat sweet potatoes!
What a great idea! I am so glad it turned out well this way too. Thanks for sharing. I hope you try more recipes from the blog soon, XOXO Carine
I only cooked for about 30 minutes. So fudgy and rich. Much better than black bean brownies.
Oh thank you so much for the lovely feedback ! I am so glad you love it too. XOXO Carine
I’ve made them yesterday and substituted the sweetpotato with a leftover can of pumpkin and the brownies are soooooo good! They are my new favourite, I really tried a lot of recipes for vegan brownies and I didn’t like them. Give them a try you won’t be disappointed!
Pumpkin is in season so this is a great idea ! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking a minute to review. It means the world to me. Talk to you soon, XOXO Carine.
I made a variation on these yesterday and they are easily my new favorite brownies! My alterations include using stokes purple sweet potatoes, doubling the maple syrup (for my sweet tooth and to make it wetter), adding dashes of salt, cinnamon, and espresso powder, and subbing the almond and oat flower for a quickly home processed mix of the two (for lack of ingredients). It still came out amazing and I can’t thank you enough for the recipe!
Thnaks for trying my recipe and sharing all your tricks to make it even better with me ! It makes me so happy and can’t wait to try this myself. Enjoy the vegan recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine.
can i use more oat flour instead of almond flour?
I didn’t try this option but yes it should work. It may be dryer that is why I like the combo of both flour usually. Enjoy the brownie, XOXO Carine.
Can I use almond meal instead of almond flour?
Sure! bot will work well. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
The best brownies recipe ever!! Wonderful and moist. I used the mixer instead of a food processor and they came out perfect. Thanks
Thank you SO much for this lovely review ! I am so happy you enjoy my brownie recipe. Enjoy the recipes on the blog. XOXO Carine.
Hi Carine,
Just a small question. Can I substitute the maple syrup with more coconut sugar? It’s the one ingredient I don’t have… or do we need the stickiness of the syrup?
It should work but it will be a bit dryer ! I can’t wait to see a picture on your inta Jeff. XOXO Carine.